Love and Other Things (Crystal Lake 4)

Sidney’s mouth dropped open in horror. “That’s awful.”

“It is. It’s not as common as it used to be, so we’re making headway. Over the last decade or so, we’ve got more shelters in the area, and I think in general, folks are more educated. They get their pets spayed and neutered. And for those that don’t, we have lovely people like Serena to help us out.”

“Speaking of which, I should get these babies back to my place and settled so they can snuggle in and sleep, the poor little things.”

Molly slid from her stool and braced her back with a grimace.

“Are you all right?” Concerned, Sid took a step closer.

“Oh, I’m good. It’s just the babies.” She made a face. “I mean, aside from the stretch marks and heartburn, ankles the size of a small child, and boobs so big I can barely get them tied down, I probably wouldn’t even feel pregnant.”

Sid attempted a smile, hell, she was probably even successful. But her face felt frozen, and it took a lot to move her mind along from things best left in the past.

She took the bag of formula and supplies from Molly. “I’ll walk these out with Serena. Why don’t you head inside, and I’ll come in and make some tea, unless you want a nap? I can always head back.”

“Tea sounds great.”

Once the puppies were packed up in Serena’s old Chevy, Sid got busy in the kitchen. Molly allowed herself one cup of tea a day, and the two of them enjoyed it together, seated by the large bay window that overlooked the backyard and lake.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this view,” Molly said, shifting into a more comfortable position.

“It’s beautiful here. I can’t believe I waited until now to visit this part of the country.”

“You’ve never been this far north?”

“I’ve been to Canada and Alaska, and I go to New York City several times a year, but I’ve never stepped foot in Michigan until now. The first time I met Nathan, he told me I was wired too tight and if I needed to shed all that stress, a visit here would do the trick.”

Molly turned from the window. “How are you doing?” Her tone was gentle. “I mean, you don’t need to answer that if you don’t want to. I just…I don’t know specifics of your situation, but I do know that Nate was worried about you when you first called him.” She shrugged. “He has good instincts.”

“I’m good,” Sid replied after a few moments, more than a little surprised to realize just how good she felt. “I had some stuff happen. Personal stuff that blindsided me, and I didn’t handle it well. I was headed to a dark place, and I think my sister was scared for me. She was the one who called Nate, and then he got in touch, and one thing led to another, and here I am.” She tried to keep her voice light, but she wasn’t sure she’d been able to keep that pain from her words.

“Life sucks sometimes,” Molly said. “But whatever it was you went through, it’s obviously made you stronger.”

“I think so. I don’t feel as low as I was, and it was pretty damn low. But it’s also made me reevaluate things. And sometimes that’s more confusing than the initial event or problem. If that makes sense?”

“Yeah. It does.” Molly set down her teacup. “I’m glad you’re here and that this place, all this nature and the lake and the people here, can help you get to where you want to be.” She made a face. “I’m just sorry my brother-in-law nearly ruined it. I don’t know what got into him. He’s not usually such an ass.”

Sid picked at an invisible piece of lint on her tights. Heat crept up her neck, and she averted her eyes. “He can’t be all that bad. I ran into him the other day, and he apologized. In my books that means we’re good.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I haven’t seen him since the night you arrived. And honestly, he really is a good guy, you know? He just…” She sighed, and Sid glanced up at Molly. “He’s had some awful things happen, and like a lot of guys, he bottles stuff up. When he lets it out, it’s not always pretty.”

Curious, Sid hesitated, but then couldn’t help herself. “What’s his story? I’ve heard something about a fiancée. Poppy mentioned it, but she didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t ask. Didn’t feel it was my place. Nate’s never shared anything about his brother to me.”

Sid thought she might have overstepped, because for the longest time, Molly was silent, but then she sat back and smiled, a sad sort of thing.

“Beck and Cate were, like, the perfect couple. In high school, everyone wanted to be them. He was tall, athletic, really good-looking, and she was…perfect. Always smiling, so nice and funny and talented. She was an artist, and we all thought she’d go places. They dated all through high school and college, and a week after graduation, they got engaged. No one was surprised, though I think Beck’s parents and Cate’s hoped the engagement would be a long one, since they were so young.” Her voice trailed off, and Sid noticed tears shimmering in the corners of Molly’s eyes.

“One Saturday morning, on a day a lot like this one, she was jogging along River Road when a drunk driver coming back from some party across the lake hit her. They didn’t find her until hours later, when Beck started freaking out because she never showed at his place. The guy that hit her, a local, Dave Matthews, left her in the ditch, and she was gone when they found her.”

Sid’s throat was tight, and she felt answering tears poke her own eyes. “That’s awful,” she whispered.

“It was. She was so young and had so much potential. Cate was the love of Beck’s life, and he was the same to her. He’s never been with anyone else. I mean, he’s moved on and he’s living, he is a human, and, like all of us, he has needs, but he doesn’t date. And I worry about him. He’s an amazing man, and someone would be damn lucky to belong to him, but he’s not interested.”

“He loved her that much,” Sid said. She understood because she knew what it was like to love someone so much, the world ended when they left.

“He did, but…”

“But what?”